Seven-Letter Names
by Kristian O’Hare directed by Christina Franklin
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stage manager Emily Donegan
dramaturge Jeremy Landes
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Cast
Stephen Pascal Portney
Michael Nathan Simpson
Roberto Sommer Carbuccia
Caitlin Ella Smith
Rebecca Samantha Cooper
Kristian O’Hare (playwright - he/him) is a San Francisco-based writer and educator. His plays have been produced or developed in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Omaha, LA, NYC, San Francisco, and Sausalito. His plays have been semifinalists at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, and Seven Devils Playwrights Conference. His full-length play Like Poetry had a successful run in the New York International Fringe Festival. New York Times called it “a highly promising production...beautifully structured, with an impressive blend of poignancy and humor.”
Christina Franklin (director - she/her) is a Brooklyn based theatre artist and teacher. She received a BFA in Directing, Playwriting, and Production from the University of The Arts and went on to work with various companies including The Lark, National Black Theatre, and The Signature. Recent directing and assisting credits include; The Wolves (The Professional Performing Arts School), For Colored Girls…, White Noise (The Public Theater) and Slave Play (NYTW). She has written and directed for TADA! Youth Theater, earning several National Youth Theatre awards and nominations. Many thanks to the cast, crew, and incredible team at Normal Ave. Matthew 5:14!
Emily Donegan (stage manager - they/them) is a stage manager and comedian based in the New York area. Emily recently graduated from Muhlenberg College with a BA in stage management, and they are currently on hiatus from serving as Technical Director on Enchantment Theatre Company’s national tour of Peter Rabbit Tales. Other recent stage management credits include Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play, Anything Goes, and Bring It On. Emily is very excited to be working with Normal Ave for the first time!
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Jeremy Landes (dramaturge - he/him) is an NYC-based director, producer, actor and teaching artist. Recent directing credits include Completeness, Lazy Eye (world premiere), Den of Thieves, Bigger Animals (world premiere) and The Tempest. As an actor, credits include productions with MaineStage Shakespeare, TACT, Workshop Theatre, The Kennedy Center, New Wave Theatre Collective, Normal Ave, and more. As an educator, Jeremy has taught improv, acting technique, scene study, and audition technique at various studios across the Northeast and California, including MaineStage Shakespeare, where he served as Director of Education for three seasons. His work teaching master classes to young professionals and adjudicating performing arts competitions has been seen throughout the country, and his private coaching clients have worked at many institutional theaters and on television/film. Jeremy is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association and an even prouder graduate of the BFA Acting program at Montclair State University.
Pascal Portney (Stephen - he/him) is a New York City based actor and the Assistant Marketing Director of Normal Ave. He’s thrilled to be collaborating with such a phenomenal team of artists in this year’s NAPseries. After NAP, Pascal will be performing in a limited run of Martin Sherman’s BENT at Triskelion Arts.
Nathan Simpson (Michael - he/him) is an actor in NYC. Theatre credits include: Blind Date (Goodman Theatre, Dir. Robert Falls), The Den (Reading, SoHo Rep), Marie Antoinette (Nubox Theatre) Bury Me in My Leggings (The Tank), The Dungeon (Normal Ave.), The Western Male (Mayday Space), Galaxy Fall (Kaleidoscapes) among others. www.nathanesimpson.com
Sommer Carbuccia (Roberto - he/him) is happy to be joining Normal Ave's NAPseries reading of Seven Letter Names. He's guest starred on episodes of Bluff City Law, Grey's Anatomy and NCIS: New Orleans, and originated the role of Kyle in the world premier of the play Paper Cut. Live, Love, Lake.
Ella Smith (Caitlin - she/her) is an actor and writer living in Brooklyn. She is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts where she studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and was selected to attend the Shakespeare program at RADA. Ella recently wrote, acted in, and produced an 8 part series titled This is B.S. about non-union summerstock theater which will air spring of 2020. In addition to her own acting, Ella teaches acting classes at Rikers Island Correctional Facility. You can learn more about her and her webseries at ellanicolesmith.com.
Samantha Cooper (Rebecca - she/her) is overjoyed to reunite with Normal Ave. Hear her voice on: Pokémon (Disney), BoyGirlDogCatMouseCheese (BBC), Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain (PlayStation), and in commercials, elearning, explainer videos & audiobooks. Recent onstage: Lazy Eye (Normal Ave), Goliath (Poetic Theater/Culture Project), Seussical (Gallery Players). Onscreen: the award-winning series, Lemmings. B.A. UCSD. For Toby, always. www.samanthafcooper.com
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